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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Is this a movie?

Ravings: Did everyone see the news about the wild/exotic animals that escaped in Zanesville, Ohio? Holy crap! That is some scary stuff. I can’t imagine living near there. One article that I read stated that “One animal that got away, described as a big cat, was hit by a car on a highway some distance away…” Can you even imagine that? You are driving down the highway and out pops a lion or a Bengal tiger. Do you think they stopped and got out of the car? I’m not sure what would be running through my head, other than “Holy shit!” The article also said that one of the escaped monkeys was eaten by a lion. Remember that movie, Jumanji? I totally flashed to that movie when I read that. Those monkeys were everywhere!

I don’t mean to make light because this is just sad and scary on multiple levels. Another article reported that Ohio is “one of fewer than 10 states that don’t regulate private ownership of dangerous wild animals….” I have always had mixed feelings about the zoo, and I have a problem with the circus, but I have no earthly idea why someone would want to own and house a big cat, a bear, or a wolf. These animals are aggressive and cannot be tamed. Many years ago I was working at a hospital on the neuro-intensive care unit when a circus trainer was bitten in the head and leg by a Bengal tiger. He had been in the circus animal training business since the age of 4, and, according to his family, had raised these animals. I saw the teeth marks in his legs. Do you have any idea how big a Bengal tiger tooth is? These are not pets!

I’ve been reading the comments on the articles from people who are outraged that these animals are being shot. While I think it’s sad that they had to be killed, are people really that naïve? Ok, I know that’s a stupid question, but really people, this isn’t the movies where animals can just be caught in a net and thrown into a box. I’m sad and angry that this man was allowed to even have these animals to begin with. Like I mentioned, I even have mixed feelings about the zoo. But these animals were kept in what amounts to large dog cages, and from what I understand may have been abused in some way. However, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed to roam free in a neighborhood where children are walking to the school bus. Should they just be allowed to feed freely because Ohio’s policy allowed them to be privately owned and housed in cages? I am just full of rhetorical questions today.

Cravings: Moving on to food. One of the pitfalls of being adventurous with food is that it sometimes doesn’t work! Last night was one of those “I would be ok if we didn’t have that again” meals. Isn’t he sweet?! That’s Jason’s way of telling me dinner sucked. I didn’t feel that strongly about it, and CJ actually liked it, but I did think there was room for improvement, so I’ll tell you where and what I would change as I go.

I’ve made stuffed peppers many times, so was apparently too arrogant concerning my ability to just wing it! I started with lentils (French lentils, which I’ve never used before so that may have been the start of the problems.) which I pre-cooked by boiling them for about 20-30 mins until they were almost done. (Here is my second problem. I think I should have boiled them longer because they never really softened up.) I then sautéed some onion and rainbow chard, added some of the dried mushrooms that I had reconstituted, and mixed in the lentils. I then added about a cup, maybe a little less of this chipotle greek yogurt dip that I’ve had in my fridge for a while and really needed to use soon! I used 3 red peppers, cut them in half and cleaned out the seeds. I spooned the lentil mixture into them and put them in the oven at 350 for about 45 mins. Besides using different lentils or cooking the French lentils longer, I think it really needed a tomato sauce. The top layer of lentils got crispy, which I didn’t mind so much, but Jason hated that part. I think he may have scraped that off and given it to Shadow! Oh and Jason said it needed ground beef! He’s a reluctant non-meat eater.

I also made dessert last night! I just mixed up some blackberries and blueberries with a bit of sugar (probably less than a tablespoon because I like the tartness), put them in a ramiken and covered it in a mixture of oats, brown sugar, and butter. I just mix them together until it’s not dry. It baked in the 350 oven for about 20 mins. Yummy!!!